CarMELita

It seems to have a nice view of things .

Yes. Once Laetitia Casta had started my addiction to models, I needed to find me good home base :-)

ChilaX was great and I was so glad BZ took over when it got closed.

I used to lurk around Laetitia and Adriana's thread on ChilaX.

It was sad when it closed but it was for the best. I am grateful for many of the members who I "met" through there

Whyy hello my dear! How are things?

Seen any good movies latley, or read any good books?

Hey Mel, how are you

Hey guys, I'm having troubles with the Internet again ... :sigh: ... that's why I have been absent again. Maaan, if I wasn't so happy living in an appartement built in 1910, I would sooo go for a newly built one where the cables and everything is working as it should be. All I'm asking is for a stable and not too slow connection. This on/off situation with sides taking ages to load or having just wrote a novel via PM with the Internet connetion suddenly breaking down and everything's got lost again is slowly driving me mad <_<

Katchitup, just been to the movies yesterday and saw "Snowwhite and the Huntsmen", I realy really liked it. The different sets were great and Charlize Theron did an awesome job! I just don't get the cast of Kristen Stewart ... don't mean to diss or anything but I could've screamed "get some posture, girl" during the whole film, seriously she's always looking like hunching her shoulders, I can't look at her without mentally correcting her. And Chris Hemsworth ... or Sam Claflin ... rather blaaa in my opinion. But I loved the movie nevertheless.

Am still reading the biography on mathmatician John Nash (A beautiful mind) ... Usually I'm a fast reader and consume a lot of books, but this one -though it is well written, really interesting and all- is taking me so much time to finish. Okay, I don't have much time at hand for reading at the moment anyway, but I'm into the book now since March and that's awfully long in my cosmos. A friend of mine gave me "The solitude of Prime Numbers" from Paolo Giordan and I'm really looking forward to start with it ...

New garden update CarMELita

I´m sorry for your connection troubles is there a way to solve it somehow?

Also I wanted to go and see this Snowhite, it really seems like a heck of fantasy film, and I love those kinds. All those creatures and tricks

What is this Beautiful Mind about exactly? And the The solitude of Prime Numbers? Sounds like an interesting reading for sure! I finally finished my latest Freud book and I can finally concenrate on John Taylors´ Black Holes great reading as well although I should dedicate more time to learn Spanish

Hey guys, just sneaked in to tell I'm still having troubles with the connection, it's a bloody mess, I don't know why my provider can't solve the problems. I'm really thinking about changing from cable to wireless, but it'll cost a fortune when I still want to download and upload pics, ... :-(

Hey guys, I'm having troubles with the Internet again ... :sigh: ... that's why I have been absent again. Maaan, if I wasn't so happy living in an appartement built in 1910, I would sooo go for a newly built one where the cables and everything is working as it should be. All I'm asking is for a stable and not too slow connection. This on/off situation with sides taking ages to load or having just wrote a novel via PM with the Internet connetion suddenly breaking down and everything's got lost again is slowly driving me mad <_<

Katchitup, just been to the movies yesterday and saw "Snowwhite and the Huntsmen", I realy really liked it. The different sets were great and Charlize Theron did an awesome job! I just don't get the cast of Kristen Stewart ... don't mean to diss or anything but I could've screamed "get some posture, girl" during the whole film, seriously she's always looking like hunching her shoulders, I can't look at her without mentally correcting her. And Chris Hemsworth ... or Sam Claflin ... rather blaaa in my opinion. But I loved the movie nevertheless.

Am still reading the biography on mathmatician John Nash (A beautiful mind) ... Usually I'm a fast reader and consume a lot of books, but this one -though it is well written, really interesting and all- is taking me so much time to finish. Okay, I don't have much time at hand for reading at the moment anyway, but I'm into the book now since March and that's awfully long in my cosmos. A friend of mine gave me "The solitude of Prime Numbers" from Paolo Giordan and I'm really looking forward to start with it ...

Sorry your having connection issues hun

and I really wanted to see snow white, with the exception of not seeing kristen stewart. I really cannot stand the girl. I think her acting is way overdramatic, and shes really twitchy and akward. lollll NOT a fan. Still nice to hear thought he movie was overall good

Also I saw the movie a beautiful mind, and I find that would be iteresting to read a bio about him. Very fasinating

Hey guys, just sneaked in to tell I'm still having troubles with the connection, it's a bloody mess, I don't know why my provider can't solve the problems. I'm really thinking about changing from cable to wireless, but it'll cost a fortune when I still want to download and upload pics, ... :-(

I'll answer the last piece of our discussion then. You'll at least have something to read:)

Sorry to hear of your struggles with it, Mel

-------

About 'A beautiful Mind', Jennka: John Nash is most famous for his contributions to Game theory, and most notably the 'Nash Equilibrium'. Most American economics, business, military, mathematics, science, and politics students have studied this in one way or another.

Nash himself was a brilliant mathematician, and like some brilliant people in the maths/sciences, suffered from mental illness.

I´m sorry Mel for the net problems hope it clears up soon??

Andy, if Mel is ok with it, can you tell me more about this Game theory and Nash Equilibrium? I think I´ve seen the movie but it was a heck long time ago.

Also I wanted to go and see this Snowhite, it really seems like a heck of fantasy film, and I love those kinds. All those creatures and tricks

You really should see it, honey, you will love the enchanted forest

What is this Beautiful Mind about exactly? And the The solitude of Prime Numbers? Sounds like an interesting reading for sure! I finally finished my latest Freud book and I can finally concenrate on John Taylors´ Black Holes great reading as well although I should dedicate more time to learn Spanish

Andy already posted some facts of "a beautiful mind" and I'll add some further info on the end of the post. As for "the solitude of prime numbers" - I finished it yesterday, oh, it was such a sad and beautiful story, I couldn't stop reading It has been ages since I finished a book in a mere couple of hours, I really missed it. I could spend my nights getting lost in a story and reading until dawn. But the internet has finally replaced that sort of addiction, I guess ... So my current problems with the internet connection gave me more time at hand for excessive reading, haha

But back to the story - it's about a girl and a boy who are kinda outcasts due to their difficult childhood and how they try to cope with it and lead a "normal" life. In a way it was sad without being sad, funny without being funny, and romantic without being romantic - it doesn't make much sense, I know, you should read it. It's also interesting on the psychological side and very well written.

I guess, "Black Holes" is really about Black Holes and not about the Disney movie? I rather loved it

and I really wanted to see snow white, with the exception of not seeing kristen stewart. I really cannot stand the girl. I think her acting is way overdramatic, and shes really twitchy and akward. lollll NOT a fan. Still nice to hear thought he movie was overall good

If I hadn't had a free ticket for Snowwhite and hadn't seen the trailer, I wouldn't had been going to see it, I'm pretty sure. It's not that I think Kristen is overdramatic - rather the opposite ... like she's making the same face throughout the movie ... I did somwhat like her in 'Twilight' (which is probably one of the worst movies around), but only because the whole cast was worse in my opinion ... not to talk about the poorly done make-up and Special Effects... ... never made it to the sequels, maybe they're better ...

As for "a beautiful mind" - I finally finished the book, yay! *pats own shoulder*

It's been written by Sylvia Nasar and I can really recommend it, very interesting read. Andy pretty much said it all, he was a mathmatical genius who "discovered" the Nash Equilibrium (game theory) when he was just in his early twenties. Everyone expected him to have a bright future, but he was diagnosed schizophrenia in the late 50ies, had been hospitalized, treated with insulin shock therapy and heavy medication. He was released from hospital 3 or 4 times but unfortunately stepped back to his delusions again and couldn't work anymore. He was in a poor state for the major time of his life. Because he wasn't harmful for anyone his family agreed to keep him at home and look after him. Since he had been such a well-known mathematician Princeton University allowed him to hang around the library and common room there and he basically spend 20 years there, writing cryptical messages, sitting in lectures but seeking no contact to staff or students, as a matter of fact he was called "the phantom" ... though it's pretty odd he got slowly better without any medical treatment, so that he was back working on mathematical theories with the beginning of the 90ies (he was in his early 60ies then). For his work in game theory in the 40ies and 50ies he got the Nobel Prize in 1994. He's still sane and working at Princeton.

It was hard to read about his hospitalisation and the shock treatment. I knew about electro shocks (they are still part of therapies), but I never new about those insulin treatments, sounds pretty bad ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_shock_therapy

The Nash Equilibrium is basically about decision making in games (or economy) - you make the decision that's best for your interest without knowing what decisions the other players make, but assuming they make the decision that is best for their interest - or at least that's what I understood, wait a sec, there must be some wiki article on it ...

Oh, yes, here it is: Nash Equilibrium ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_equilibrium

Since Andy is the brain here, I would like to know if it's still a common tool in economy?

You really should see it, honey, you will love the enchanted forest

I love such forests in movies! I was dying during watching Lord of the Rings and, on a side note, how about the cast - did they play well the characters?

Andy already posted some facts of "a beautiful mind" and I'll add some further info on the end of the post. As for "the solitude of prime numbers" - I finished it yesterday, oh, it was such a sad and beautiful story, I couldn't stop reading It has been ages since I finished a book in a mere couple of hours, I really missed it. I could spend my nights getting lost in a story and reading until dawn. But the internet has finally replaced that sort of addiction, I guess ... So my current problems with the internet connection gave me more time at hand for excessive reading, haha

But back to the story - it's about a girl and a boy who are kinda outcasts due to their difficult childhood and how they try to cope with it and lead a "normal" life. In a way it was sad without being sad, funny without being funny, and romantic without being romantic - it doesn't make much sense, I know, you should read it. It's also interesting on the psychological side and very well written.

I guess, "Black Holes" is really about Black Holes and not about the Disney movie? I rather loved it

Yeah, Black Holes is really a book on black holes very interesting to read, full of wonderful theories and splendid information on various subjects, includind (of course) the black holes (their classification, creation, process of growth, the principle they work on etc), galaxies in general, theory of relativity, paradoxes, time travel and so on... you would love it indeed

I love such books - that are sad without being sad and romantic without being romantic, great without even trying. I need to get that book! Thank you Mel for the reference

If I hadn't had a free ticket for Snowwhite and hadn't seen the trailer, I wouldn't had been going to see it, I'm pretty sure. It's not that I think Kristen is overdramatic - rather the opposite ... like she's making the same face throughout the movie ... I did somwhat like her in 'Twilight' (which is probably one of the worst movies around), but only because the whole cast was worse in my opinion ... not to talk about the poorly done make-up and Special Effects... ... never made it to the sequels, maybe they're better ...

I have a serious issue with this whole saga. It makes the blood boil in my veins

As for "a beautiful mind" - I finally finished the book, yay! *pats own shoulder*

It's been written by Sylvia Nasar and I can really recommend it, very interesting read. Andy pretty much said it all, he was a mathmatical genius who "discovered" the Nash Equilibrium (game theory) when he was just in his early twenties. Everyone expected him to have a bright future, but he was diagnosed schizophrenia in the late 50ies, had been hospitalized, treated with insulin shock therapy and heavy medication. He was released from hospital 3 or 4 times but unfortunately stepped back to his delusions again and couldn't work anymore. He was in a poor state for the major time of his life. Because he wasn't harmful for anyone his family agreed to keep him at home and look after him. Since he had been such a well-known mathematician Princeton University allowed him to hang around the library and common room there and he basically spend 20 years there, writing cryptical messages, sitting in lectures but seeking no contact to staff or students, as a matter of fact he was called "the phantom" ... though it's pretty odd he got slowly better without any medical treatment, so that he was back working on mathematical theories with the beginning of the 90ies (he was in his early 60ies then). For his work in game theory in the 40ies and 50ies he got the Nobel Prize in 1994. He's still sane and working at Princeton.

It was hard to read about his hospitalisation and the shock treatment. I knew about electro shocks (they are still part of therapies), but I never new about those insulin treatments, sounds pretty bad ---> http://en.wikipedia....n_shock_therapy

What a story that must have been a damn interesting book, I would love to read it too. Oh my God, enough There are like 20 books in my "Need-to-read- list" - it´s crazy! Ok... 21 now

Mel, stop writing so beautiful about these books... you make me want to read them immensely and NOW!

Andy, if Mel is ok with it, can you tell me more about this Game theory and Nash Equilibrium? I think I´ve seen the movie but it was a heck long time ago.

The 'Nash equilibrium' is mostly an essential device, a component piece if you will that completes basic Game Theory. You can't learn game theory without also learning the Nash equilibrium. As for Game theory itself, it's a pretty essential skill for doing strategic decision making in a wide area of fields. Computer engineers, for instance, are intimately knowledgeable of its properties and would do the hard work of programming game theory into an application. Many a powerpoint deck in a corporate strategy session, military operation, and consulting project would have some discussion of probabilities and outcomes for real life situations. Planners for political campaigns at think tanks will use it, too.

Oh, yes, here it is: Nash Equilibrium ---> http://en.wikipedia....ash_equilibrium

Since Andy is the brain here, I would like to know if it's still a common tool in economy?

Well Mel, I don't know if I can be credited with that, as you read the book, and I did not

It's a seminal concept. Then there were a legion of academics like Prof. Herbert Gintis at Colombia University that have expanded on it. Then practitioners use it and it helps.

The Nobel Prize in Economics is often awarded to individuals who managed to pioneer a seminal concept that later becomes very successful. That's why it's common to see individuals win the award for work they did 30, 40 years ago...

Nash and many others of his generation made the practice of economic measurement and analysis incredibly mathematical. Before their generation, economics was more like a social science. Now it's more like a branch of physics. There's good and bad to this, and this reality has been a controversial issue as of late. Has economics lost its way? Interesting question, as I personally believe that it has, at least to a minority extent.

I was wondering if his theory's still regarded as important, you know, some things seem to be less significant with the passing of time, so thanks a lot for the info, Andy!

Little Sidenote: Actually it's not a "real" Nobel prize, the prize for economical research, it's "just" a prize in memory of Alfred Nobel and attached to the official Nobel prize ceremony. It's been installed by a bank, if I remember that correctly ...

Jennka, since I don't think I'll ever read the thing again, would you like me to send it over to you?

I was wondering if his theory's still regarded as important, you know, some things seem to be less significant with the passing of time, so thanks a lot for the info, Andy!

Little Sidenote: Actually it's not a "real" Nobel prize, the prize for economical research, it's "just" a prize in memory of Alfred Nobel and attached to the official Nobel prize ceremony. It's been installed by a bank, if I remember that correctly ...

Anytime, Mel <3

Oh yes, you are right about that. The Economics prize is odd at times. Many of its winners won more for political purposes (Such as Hayek, Friedman, Stigliz, Krugman, the Financial Engineers like Markowitz) and public policy influence rather than actual advancement of the science or positive contribution to civilization. I do believe that Nash did give a positive contribution, but individuals such as Friedman, Hayek, and Scholes may have caused more harm than good.

Thank you Andy for all those explanations, damn I think I did not learn in school as much as I have learned on this forum

I was wondering if his theory's still regarded as important, you know, some things seem to be less significant with the passing of time, so thanks a lot for the info, Andy!

Little Sidenote: Actually it's not a "real" Nobel prize, the prize for economical research, it's "just" a prize in memory of Alfred Nobel and attached to the official Nobel prize ceremony. It's been installed by a bank, if I remember that correctly ...

Jennka, since I don't think I'll ever read the thing again, would you like me to send it over to you?

Are you serious? You would sent it to me? But... that would be just... oh my You have no idea how happy that would make me, can you sign it as well? As I´ll have a memory to touch

I will also send you a book, just tell me a title!

Of course, just send me your address via PM and I'll mail it - I need to go to the mail office tomorrow anyway

The book has some little stains inside, but nothing serious - balsamico vinegar

And though you don't need to send me anything in return, honey, I will gladly read whatever you can recommend (or whatever book you wanna get rid of )